Shaun Marcum Traded to the Brewers for Brett Lawrie

[OakleyDokely]

This trade is very hard to evaluate without the proper context.

It's really hard to guage what direction this organization is going. There have been mixed signals about whether they're still rebuilding or their going to try and compete this year.

I think we will have to wait until the end of the offseason to really judge this move.

[Hoopstarr]

To settle the Halladay issue once and for all,

Sports headlines are saturated with prima donnas and contract disputes and trade demands, and Halladay has never been about any of that -- even when he wanted out of Toronto. The way he handled that was a model of restraint, of professionalism.

During the offseason of 2008-09, Ricciardi was told by the Toronto's ownership that the Blue Jays were not going to expand the team's payroll. In fact, they would wind up making cuts. Halladay had signed an extension with the Blue Jays in the spring of 2006 under the presumption that Toronto would expand its payroll in an effort to give the Blue Jays a greater chance to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox, and as soon as Ricciardi learned that plan was changing, he felt obligated, in good faith, to inform Halladay, who had a full no-trade clause.

The GM spoke on the phone with Halladay before spring training about the change in direction, and after Halladay reported to Dunedin, Fla., for the Jays' training camp, he met privately with Ricciardi and told him: "Look, I understand what the organization is trying to do, and if you have an opportunity to deal me to give me a better opportunity to play with a winning team, I'd like to explore that."

Halladay said nothing to reporters, made no demands. He just did what he has always done: arrived early to prepare, putting in hours and hours of work before anybody else came to the ballpark. He routinely started his cardio work in the morning before a 7 p.m. game, as always. His demeanor with teammates never changed, his treatment of others never changed, throughout the 2009 season.

Every time another team called to express interest in Halladay, Ricciardi immediately informed Halladay, meeting with him or calling him, to ask him if he was interested in that particular club. The trade talk heated up in July of 2009, but before the trade deadline, the Jays' ownership decided it didn't want to move Halladay. Privately, he wanted a chance to go to a winner; publicly, he was nothing but supportive of Ricciardi and the organization and the decision, and he continued to be the plow horse on the mound, taking the ball, doing his job without complaint.

That's from a Buster Olney Insider piece

[Randle McMurphy]

Really, I don't think I should be that impressed when the wealthiest ownership in baseball is willing to spend slightly above average for one year out of its ten years owning the team.

I've never said that they're spendthrifts. Rather, it's that this notion that you're spinning where the Jays are frightened to commit a few mil here and there simply isn't borne out by reality.

This only started when I suggested the Jays should have spent more on JP's team to ensure success and maintain Halladay's presence on the team. That suggestion is particularly applicable to 2008, a supposed contending year, when they had Stewart/Wilkerson/Mench in the lineup for the entire season because they didn't want Frank Thomas to reach his vesting option. No, it's not committing a few million here or there that I'm worried about, it's ultimately doing what it takes financially to win in this division.

[Randle McMurphy]

It's really hard to guage what direction this organization is going. There have been mixed signals about whether they're still rebuilding or their going to try and compete this year.

Yep, major mixed signals. If you ask me, I wouldn't be against purging it of its major league talent after this Marcum move. Not that it's going to happen.

[Michael Bradley]

In the winter of 2008-09, the Jays did not make a single MLB signing, instead opting to only tender their arby eligible players and sign players to minor league contracts. I had zero faith in Ricciardi, but chances are he would have signed MLB talent if he had the chance to. That was clearly ownership's call, although I suspect Beeston might have had something to do with it also. I think Rogers was more than fair to the Jays from 2006-08 as far as payroll, but yanking the rug out in 2009-10 was huge because it was two years left with Halladay where the team couldn't do anything to add talent around him. It was a further waste of Roy's prime.

Halladay would have played out the 2010 season if no trade presented itself. He didn't demand a trade. He didn't force the Jays hand. I'm sure he didn't mind leaving once he found out the team was not going to spend anymore, but people are acting as if he stormed into the team's office and held a gun to their head. If the team wanted him to play out the 2010 season, he would have done it without saying a word. If the Jays made a legit attempt to compete in 2009 and 2010, this wouldn't have even been an issue. I think he, much like all of us, wanted to make the playoffs in a Jays uniform.

[Randle McMurphy]

In the winter of 2008-09, the Jays did not make a single MLB signing, instead opting to only tender their arby eligible players and sign players to minor league contracts. I had zero faith in Ricciardi, but chances are he would have signed MLB talent if he had the chance to. That was clearly ownership's call, although I suspect Beeston might have had something to do with it also. I think Rogers was more than fair to the Jays from 2006-08 as far as payroll, but yanking the rug out in 2009-10 was huge because it was two years left with Halladay where the team couldn't do anything to add talent around him. It was a further waste of Roy's prime.

Halladay would have played out the 2010 season if no trade presented itself. He didn't demand a trade. He didn't force the Jays hand. I'm sure he didn't mind leaving once he found out the team was not going to spend anymore, but people are acting as if he stormed into the team's office and held a gun to their head. If the team wanted him to play out the 2010 season, he would have done it without saying a word. If the Jays made a legit attempt to compete in 2009 and 2010, this wouldn't have even been an issue. I think he, much like all of us, wanted to make the playoffs in a Jays uniform.

Here's a question for you:

If Godfrey was still the president from 2009-now, do you think the money still would have been there, and as a result, would this team still have Halladay? Beeston's seemed to give the indication at times that he was the one who wanted to drop the payroll way below average, not Rogers.

[darth_federer]

Milwaukee blogs are putting up pics and stories about Lawrie now that hes on the move



His girlfriend..





Lose Yourself lyrics tattoo

http://www.millerparkdrunk.com/baseball ... d-as-tool/

Sharone I have the car...

[OakleyDokely]

better sign a pre-nup with that one.

[Randle McMurphy]

Wow, he's a pretty big douchebag. He also has what I like to call fake swag.

But as long as he can hit, I doubt anyone will care.

[darth_federer]

better sign a pre-nup with that one.

Shes an athlete too (from Vancouver.) She is one of the best under 20 soccer players in the world. Lawrie seems like a typical jock.

[hyper316]

haha, brett lawrie should be happy to be traded to toronto. i dont know what to make of his personal life. hope he finds a defensive position and excel at it

[SharoneWright]

I think I'm already clearly on record liking the trade. I do agree Rogers is investing MORE than average dollars in scouting, intern'l free agent signings, the first year draft, and Vernon Wells (lol), - significant dollars on Romero/Hill/Lind/etc - but the one puzzling penny saving deal was the Rios dump, where (apparently) return players were outright refused just to save money. Am I remembering that wrong? Not that that necessarily has any bearing on this trade or the current willingness to spend...

[OakleyDokely]

Paul Beeston is on record saying that when AA tells ownership/management that he's ready to contend, the money will be provided.

I have no reason not to believe Beeston.

[Randle McMurphy]

I think I'm already clearly on record liking the trade. I do agree Rogers is investing MORE than average dollars in scouting, intern'l free agent signings, the first year draft, and Vernon Wells (lol), - significant dollars on Romero/Hill/Lind/etc - but the one puzzling penny saving deal was the Rios dump, where (apparently) return players were outright refused just to save money. Am I remembering that wrong? Not that that necessarily has any bearing on this trade or the current willingness to spend...

Yeah, that was a complete salary dump of a pretty valuable player.

[Randle McMurphy]

Paul Beeston is on record saying that when AA tells ownership/management that he's ready to contend, the money will be provided.

I have no reason not to believe Beeston.

But do you have a reason to believe him?

[OakleyDokely]

Those two rings he's got makes me a believer.

It was a long time ago, but he has a pretty successful track record.

[LBJSeizedMyID]

I honestly don't get your hard on with Rogers being cheap.

[soulchild_07]

wow...this got really off topic...and it sucks that I'm late to the party with 30 pages to sift through...but what I didn't see mentioned was the possibility that this could have been a move to open up room for Zach Stewart...who AA I think has mentioned is on the same level in terms of a prospect as Drabek but lesser known and therefore not as hyped. Drabek at the 4 and Stewart at the 5 provided neither is traded this offseason perchaps is the plan?

[YogiStewart]

Paul Beeston is on record saying that when AA tells ownership/management that he's ready to contend, the money will be provided.

I have no reason not to believe Beeston.

But do you have a reason to believe him?

do you have a reason to vehemently not believe him?

[Duffman100]

Paul Beeston is on record saying that when AA tells ownership/management that he's ready to contend, the money will be provided.

I have no reason not to believe Beeston.

But do you have a reason to believe him?

do you have a reason to vehemently not believe him?

ha! this argument is awesome.